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Jay Carson on his new single and collab with FILA

Jay Carson calls himself a ‘life researcher’. An EDM, techno and rap artist from Pretoria, he’s just released his new single Want Me Now and collaborated with FILA on the visual campaign.

His single has been accompanied by an exhibition and photoshoot but it’s all about the music.

Back in the 90s, in the hood, where I grew up, people were wearing brands like DKS, Ellesse, FILA, stuff like that.

‘I told the music I love you and the music said me too. So that’s when I realised this relationship could go far. I was in grade 8 in 2010, it was a private Catholic school; there was a choir there. I joined the choir. I started singing, singing, singing and you know as a kid, I grew up watching TV and seeing artists on TV and thinking I want to be like that.’

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He recorded a special video for TRUE Africa telling us about his new music, his collaboration with classic sportswear brand FILA – you can’t beat FILA – and how love powers his creativity.

The up-and-coming artist has been mentored by iconic musicians like Goldfish singer Sakhile Moleshe and DJ Spoek Mathambo.

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‘FILA is the coolest brand in the world,’ Jay told us when we asked him about how the collaboration come about. ‘I approached FILA to operate with them on a campaign. When we fused the city modern lifestyle with a touch of life, portraying the imitation of coming from the hood and doing bigger things in the city, and educating the world about prevalent lifestyles in South Africa.’

‘It’s too cosy, it really looks lovely. Working with FILA is something extraordinary, you become a star boy… Back in the 90s, in the hood, where I grew up, people were wearing brands like DKS, Ellesse, FILA, stuff like that. FILA adds a story to the campaign.’

He’s just at the beginning of his career but he knows his recipe already: ‘I have three tips to success. To be successful, it’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know.

‘The second, it’s about building experience. To get the job by doing the job. You have to build up experience by doing the job. I want a job, but you have no experience. You have to know the job, do the job and get the job. Then my last one is to network, to be interactive, so you can get your work to people who can get you to what you want.’